A friend of mine recently commented that his elderly mother tended to repeat the same old memories time and time again. Perhaps, this repetition is a characteristic of many older people and it is hardly a surprising one. By the time people reach a certain age, they've accumulated enough life... Read more →
11/02/2023
10/11/2023
Broken Families
The monkey candle-holder stands next to a row of books in my sitting-room. The poor monkey has not held a candle for years. On the wall beside the animal is the oil paining still in its ornate gold frame. I wonder if it misses its sibling picture - somewhat smaller... Read more →
10/02/2023
Creating in the Garden
In his memoir, "Goodbye to all that," Robert Graves recalled his meeting with Thomas Hardy. Graves Writes: "As we walked around the garden, Hardy paused at a spot near the greenhouse. He had once been pruning a tree here when an idea for a story suddenly entered his head. The... Read more →
09/28/2023
No future for unrequited love
Apparently, psychologists have found that - as a rule - one-way love is more common than two-way love. One-way love - or the so-called "unrequited" love - has proved to be one of the great themes of literature and drama. Below are four examples. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor... Read more →
09/17/2023
The curse of experience
Seattle to San Francisco road trip in 3 weeks mostly along highway 1. Eight stopovers in eight different places. At first, we see the new place through the lens of the previous one but it doesn't take long to adapt to the new hotel, the new environment and the new... Read more →
08/31/2023
United States: a land of questions?
Toast? Do you want wheat or rye? Any other beverages beside water? Sunny side up or down? How do you like your fish? Soft or medium? Coffee? With or without? This your vehicle? Where are you from? Where have you been? What have you seen? The blogs that follow over... Read more →
08/01/2023
Biking and thought
It might be trite to say that the bicycle journey is more important than the destination. On the other hand, it might not be trite at all. Imagine biking over the Alps to Italy in order to visit your beloved. I am not sure this lover would be impressed if... Read more →
07/27/2023
Inspiration from irritation.
I don't see myself as an irritable person but, like most of us, a state of irritation can result from a harmless question - (or is it a thoughtless question or a throw-away question designed to fill an uncomfortable silence?). While getting older, that question is asked more frequently and... Read more →
07/17/2023
The uncertainty of love
It is in the muted colours - the blue and the grey. There is a ghost from the past and it haunts this painting. The ghost gives this painting its beauty. The ghost gives this painting the bitterness that makes us shudder. Distant fog hangs over the painting. A question... Read more →
07/14/2023
Schadenfreude
Do you ever get enjoyment at the misfortunes of others? The Germans have a word for it - schadenfreude. It seems to be true that many of us love people who are larger than life - a kind of hero, in fact - somebody like Robin Hood or Cristiano Ronaldo.... Read more →
